Studying for the Final Exam

Note that the final is not given in the usual classroom.  It is given Thursday, Dec. 11, 8-10pm in room N130 Business College Complex

There will be about 60 questions on the final exam.  Half of these will be based on material covered since the third exam.  The other half will be based on material covered in the first three exams.

Studying for the old material. The 30 questions on this material will be variants of some of the sample questions given on the web for exams 1, 2, and 3. Thus, being familiar with the sample questions and their solutions may be the best way to prepare.

Studying for the new material.  The relevant reading in the textbook will be chapters 20, 21, S2, S3, 22, 23, and 24.

Chapter 20

What are the basic properties of elliptical and spiral galaxies?  How is a barred spiral galaxy different from an ordinary spiral?  What is an irregular galaxy? How did Edwin Hubble use Cepheid variable stars to establish that there were galaxies beyond our own?

What is the Hubble Law? What is the distance chain? How is the Hubble constant related to the age of the universe? What is lookback time?

Chapter 21

What are two scenarios for the formation of a galaxy like the Milky Way (see figure 21.4 and figure 21.5)? Why do stars in the halo of the Milky Way galaxy  have a lower abundance of heavy elements (elements heavier than helium) than do stars in the disk? What is the evidence that mergers may play an important role in galaxy evolution?  What is a quasar? What do we think provides the energy that powers a quasar?

S2 and S3

Here we concentrate on the general theory of relativity, rather than the special theory. Thus, although S2 introduces relativity, the exam will deal mainly with material in S3.

What is the equivalence principle? What is the four-dimensional spacetime? Can we think of gravity as a bend in spacetime? What is a gravitational lens? If our universe exists as a four-dimensional spacetime, can we travel to the center of the universe?

Chapter 22

There are several reasons for thinking that dark matter exists.  Why do the rotation curves of spiral galaxies indicate that dark matter exists in them?  What is the evidence for dark matter in clusters of galaxies? Is there evidence for largescale structure in the universe? What is a recollapsing (or Big Crunch) universe? What is a coasting universe? What is a critical universe? What is an accelerating universe? On what observations does the evidence for an accelerating universe rest?

Chapter 23

What are the four forces of nature we see around us today?  Might these actually be different versions of a single force? What is the basic idea of the Big Bang theory? How does the existence of the microwave background support the standard Big Bang theory?  How do the observed amounts of hydrogen and helium in the universe support the standard Big Bang? The standard Big Bang does not explain why the universe is as isotropic (smooth at large scales) as it is, nor why the density of the universe is close to the critical density.  How might an inflationary universe explain these two facts? What is Olbers paradox?

Chapter 24

What determines the size of the habitable zone around a star?  Can we find earth-like planets around other stars with current technology? Do we know whether earth-like planets are rare or common? What does the Drake equation attempt to predict? What are some objects often mistaken for UFOs? What is SETI?  What are some of the problems in traveling to other stars?